3 - 9 September 2013 Issue: 479
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LONDON AUSSIES FIRST TO THE POLLS By Alex Ivett
With the 7 September election looming, Australians in the UK are turning out in force to cast their vote at prepolling facilities at Australia House. The Australian High Commission opened its doors to voters on Monday 26 August, a public holiday in Britain. Hundreds of Australians queued to cast their vote, and the facility has experienced a consistent flow of expats and overseas visitors since. Consul General at the High Commission, Ken Pascoe, said over 5,326 voters passed through the doors at Australia House in the first week. “There is a large Australian community living in the United Kingdom and many more holiday makers. “That is why the Australian Electoral Commission and the High Commission have made arrangements to ensure that every eligible Australian voter has the opportunity to vote at Australia House.” However, campaign leaders in the UK for Labor and the Greens have suggested voter turnout is down from previous years and are urging Australians to make their vote count in the remaining days of prepolling. “While the number of voters has been down on past elections we are hoping for a big turnout this week,” UK campaign manager for the Australian Greens, Mat Hines, told Australian Times. “A lot of people are telling us they are voting Green in the Senate to prevent the potential of an Abbott government from having complete control.” ...continued on p3
KEEP THE BASTARDS HONEST Assange's plea to Aussie voters | Interview P4
'Baddies vs baddies'
PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd has mocked Opposition Leader Tony Abbott’s comments on Syria, saying he graduated from the “John Wayne school of international relations”. Mr Abbott said the Syrian conflict was a civil war between two pretty unsavoury sides. “It’s not goodies versus baddies, it’s baddies versus baddies and that’s why it’s very important that we don’t make a very difficult situation worse,” Mr Abbott said. Speaking at a Labor Party campaign launch for candidate Cathy O’Toole, in Townsville on Sunday night, Mr Rudd said Mr Abbott was a student of the “John Wayne school of international relations. “International relations is more complex than a 1950s John Wayne western,” he said. “I really do question his temperament for occupying the highest office of the land.” The coalition has defended its leader’s description of the Syrian crisis as a sophisticated analysis. The opposition leader has backed any US military action against Syria but says it has to be carefully targeted and proportionate so it doesn’t make a bad situation worse. A political solution to avoid the need for military action would be terrific but is not likely, Mr Abbott said. ...continued on p3
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2 | News
3 - 9 September 2013
Ticking all the boxes n
Publisher: Bryce Lowry Editor: Alex Ivett Production/Design: Jackie Lampard News Editor: Paul Bleakley Business Editor: Sepi Roshan Contributors: Georgia Dawes, Phillip Browne, Michael McCormick, Erin Somerville, George Katralis, Jacqui Moroney, Will Fitzgibbon, Chris Arkadieff, Kiel Egging, Daniel Shillito, Mat Lyons, Sandra Tahmasby,
Tyson Yates, Jennifer Perkin, Charlie Inglefield, Thomas Jones, Alistair Davis, Will Denton, Chloe Westley, Bonnie Gardiner, Michaela Gray, Marian Borges, Haylee Slater, Emma O'Neill, Ally Juchnevicius, Courtney Greatrex, Poppy Damon, Kris Griffiths Directors: P Atherton, J Durrant N Durrant, R Phillips and A Laird
Additional content: Who are we? Australian Times is written and compiled by young Australian journalists living in the UK. Contributing on a volunteer basis, they are uniquely placed to reflect the interests, opinions and attitudes of our community. If you would like to join us, contact info@australiantimes.co.uk Address: Unit 7C, Commodore House Battersea Reach, London SW18 1TW Tel: 0845 456 4910 Email: info@australiantimes.co.uk
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Voting for the people that represent you in parliament is a big responsibility, even when you are living away from home. Paul Bleakley went down to Australia House in London – the biggest polling booth in this year’s federal election – to see what all the fuss is about. IT is every Australians responsibility – nay, it is their civic duty – to vote for the individuals that will represent them in government. While living in London, that duty becomes diluted. After all, what does it matter how the election turns out? All politicians are cut from the same cloth, and if you’re here in the UK for more than two years it probably won’t have too much of an impact on your day-today life at all. This is where you are wrong, my fellow citizens. What happens in the Australian election this year will affect us all, and its up to you to contribute to this defining, crucial decision. Prepolling opened at Australia House in London last week, so I headed down today to see what it was all about. To be honest, my conversations with the Australians in my social circle did not engender confidence in the democratic process. Most didn’t intend to vote, some didn’t think that they were able to and one confessed that he had never registered to vote in the first place. That is why I scoffed when I was warned about the crowds at Australia House. You have got to be joking, I thought. If my unrepresentative survey was anything to go by, going to vote in London would be like walking into a ghost town. Not so. As I strolled down the road from Holborn station, I could see the gathering crowd that snaked around Australia House. I am a bit of a political junkie and have volunteered on many election campaigns in Australia. The scenes I witnessed at Australia House was not unlike those that you would see at home, where people are compelled to vote under threat of a fine. I accepted how-to-
Your Say On: Boris Johnson calls for Australians to have EUstyle work rights in UK Even though I like the idea of Aussies working freely in the UK, this wouldn’t work for the benefit of Australia as half of the UK would move to Australia within two years. Imagine the population boom.
Charlie
I’ve been living in the UK for 22 years with IDL, married to a Brit, have two British children, a mortgage there, done jury service but had to return to Australia to spend time with aged parents and because I overlooked that I can’t be out of the UK for more than two years I can’t return to the UK to live!
vote flyers from representatives of all the major (and a few minor) political parties and assumed my position in a queue that I was told would take half an hour. Half an hour! Can you believe it? Half an hour out of my beautiful, sunny London day just to exercise the democratic right that gives us the ability to call ourselves ‘the Lucky Country’. The nerve of it! The half hour flew by, however. You see, no matter our political differences, Australians are a friendly group of people. We are bonded through simple virtue of being from the land Down Under. Everyone in the line managed to find someone to chat to, most of them people that they had never met before turning up to the ballot box. I spent my waiting time talking to Courtney, a teacher from Bateman’s Bay who had just settled in to a her new home in Wimbledon. I’d never seen this girl before, and yet for thirty minutes we chatted like old friends about a range of things, from skiing holidays to the cheapest places to go for a drink in London. Before we knew it, we were at the head of the line and it seemed like no time had passed whatsoever. The process from there could be quite intimidating: unlike in Australia – where you run in and out of the voting booth within five minutes – voting at Australia House requires a swift security search before entering the building. You are then given forms to fill out with all of your details, to make sure that your vote is sent to the right place for counting. Considering the fact that there are well over 100 electorates thoughout the country, you can imagine that I spent four years in the UK and couldn’t believe what I had to go through to stay in the country that long while EU residents who can’t even speak English let alone assimilate within the community could come and go as they please. Aust, UK and NZ share common bonds and values, and Boris’s idea makes fantastic sense.
electoral workers at Australia House have quite a job ahead of them to even determine what ballot papers that you are supposed to fill out. While the system seems complex at first glance, credit goes to the people working on the election at Australia House. They have a tougher job than anyone in a similar position at home, with many different variables to determine before a ballot paper is handed out. They perform their duties admirably, with a process as swift and painless as one could expect given the circumstances. Before I knew it, I had filled out my forms and popped them in the box labelled ‘Queensland’. Of course, I won’t be telling you who I voted for – the secret ballot is an Australian invention after all! The best part about voting at Australia House is that it is that it is only a short walk to the Walkabout at Temple for a quick bite and a pint afterwards. You could see the Australians – expat and tourist alike – that convened at the Walkabout en route to and from Australia House. For once, the chatter in the humble Walkie wasn’t about the football – it was, astonishingly, political. A group of older Australians on holiday in the UK inquired about how to get to Australia House to vote. The barmaid told them, under the proviso that they voted for “anyone except Abbott”. That attracted a few light-hearted comments from the older patrons with further banter about this weekend's election coming thick and fast. We are proud to travel around the world and claim our nationality. When people ask if we are from the UK, you can’t deny having a bit of pride when you say “Nah, Australia mate”. Which begs the question: do you really have the right to be say that when you can’t take the time to vote for the people that lead your country? The process is simple, the people working at Australia House make the voting experience easy. Hell, it even has an Aussie bar right down the road to take advantage of afterwards. Get down to the Strand in the next few weeks and have your say. You may live overseas, but your opinion? It still matters.
Get More Opinion
AustralianTimes.co.uk/news
On: Julian Assange: From information anarchist to party politician
Michael
Yes he’s partly right but the door must be open to all the Commonwealth Realms i.e. NZ, Canada, Jamaica etc who have the Queen as Head of State. I believe there still have to be immigration controls but Realms should be accorded privileges as they are part of the family Hugh
Truth, justice and freedom. Left and right concerns. Quibbles about preferences not going directly to the Greens are a petty issue and maybe those who resigned were more interested in benefiting left-wing parties with an interest in rubber-stamping lower-house government decisions than in providing the kind of oversight that the Wikileaks Party has been created for? Iam
Very well written. Good work. I am excited about what the party could bring. Mark
Carol
? What’s your view
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Make your vote count, major Abbott has 'John Wayne diplomacy': Rudd parties urge UK Aussie voters ...continued from p1 own people an utter abomination. Adelaide. Coalition campaign spokesman Christopher Pyne defended his leader’s comments about the situation in Syria as an “extremely sophisticated” analysis as neither side was covered in glory. “In the Syrian civil war, both sides are very unattractive .. it’s actually more sophisticated to recognise that, than to try and pretend as Penny Wong does that there’s somehow cowboys and indians and one side is good and one side is bad.” “In the Syrian conflict it’s important to understand that both sides are deeply unpleasant and that trying to choose a side is a very foolish thing to do,” Mr Pyne told reporters in
He called the Syrian regime’s alleged use of poison gas against its
Labor campaign spokeswoman Penny Wong said Mr Abbott sounded like he was talking about a game of cops and robbers when discussing foreign policy. “When asked about the difficult situation in Syria and what his view about this was, his view on foreign policy appears to be not always goodies versus baddies but it can be baddies versus baddies,” she said.- AAP
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Social network giant Twitter is opening its first corporate offices in Sydney this week, as it seeks to grow its pool of users in Australia. SOCIAL networking service Twitter already has more than two million Australian users. However, compared to the 140 million users worldwide, and 10 million active users in the UK, it is a small drop in the ocean. This week Twitter will unveil its first Australian headquarters in Sydney, in a move intended to grow its pool of Australian users and increase advertising revenue. Twitter has been steadily increasing their presence in Australia since late 2012 with high-profile partnerships with several sporting codes and media organisations. It recently started offering its “promoted products” facility to businesses in Australia. Advertisers pay to have promoted tweets pushed into users’ timelines, promoted accounts included in “who to follow” recommendations and “promoted trends” appearing on the popular topics list. “We think there’s growth
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By Alex Ivett
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opportunities across every aspect of what we do across Australia,” said Shailesh Rao, Twitter’s vice-president of Asia-Pacific, Latin America and emerging markets told The Australian. “We’re … focused on trying to spur deeper engagement and more usage on the user side as well as on working with agencies and brands to help them get the most value out of Twitter as a platform where their brands can participate in those conversations.” Former Google Asia-Pacific executive Karen Stocks has been appointed as managing director. Staff have been working from the Sydney CDB headquarters for several weeks ahead of its formal launch. It follows in the wake of several other high profile social media tech companies, including Google and Facebook, who have recently increased their Australian presence. Facebook opened local offices in 2011, and Google has corporate offices in Sydney.
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Labor, the Coalition and the Greens have said they believe the expat vote in the UK could be crucial in some innercity seats and have repeatedly urged overseas Australians to make their vote count. In the 2010 federal election over 16,000 Australian voters cast their votes at Australia House, making it the largest polling station in the election. Jason Groves, president of Australian Liberals Abroad, told Australian Times it was likely the Liberal Party would win the UK vote for the first time. “Australia House is a polling booth long regarded as one that Labor wins, although this time I think the Liberals are going to win it for the first time. “There is a very clear message being sent this election that it is time for change. “Speaking to people from marginal seats, there is a real sense that Australia has had a unique set of economic tailwinds over the past few years that Labor have squandered through mismanagement and huge disincentives for businesses and individuals to invest in Australia. “A lot of Australians are looking for the right time to return to Australia, and they are voting for a new government that will bring more favourable economic circumstances that will allow them to move back and continue their careers with confidence.”
The latest Newspoll shows Tony Abbott overtaking Kevin Rudd as preferred prime minister for the first time. The poll suggests Labor will lose this weekend’s election, with the two-party preferred vote showing Labor on 46 per cent compared to the coalition’s 54 per cent. ALP Abroad president Paul Smith said it was important for voters overseas to consider the kind of Australia they would one day like to return to. “Australians in the UK know a conservative government will cut jobs, drive the economy into recession and make the country more unfair,” he told Australian Times. “I urge Australians to come out and vote Labor for a country they can be proud of when they are overseas and that offers a strong economy with fairness when they return.” ALP Abroad are hosting an election party from 9am at the Coach Makers Arms in Marylebone. Results will be shown live on a projector in a private room at the venue, with lamingtons for guests. Australia House will remain open for prepolling until 9pm on Friday 6 September. It will also be open for latenight voting on Thursday 5 September until 9pm. Prepoll voting is not available on Saturday 7 September due to the time difference between London and the closing of polls at 6pm Australian Western Standard Time (AWST).
NOW
...continued from p1
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4 | Election
3 - 9 September 2013
Julian Assange From information anarchist to party politician n
INTERVIEW | The Australian government is, for Julian Assange, a place of corruption, of compromised interests, political infighting and parties who have lost their purpose and direction. Ahead of this week’s federal election in which he is running for a seat in the Senate, he tells Australian Times why he’s the candidate to fix it.
By Alex Ivett It hasn’t been an easy campaign for Julian Assange and his WikiLeaks Party in their bid for seats in the Australian Senate. It seemed to start well, with the promise of ‘transparency, accountability and justice’ a soothing salve to the wounds of an electorate damaged by months of soundbites, sniping and #suppositories. The party guaranteed grass roots involvement and support, with a small, centralised leadership. It would be “incorruptible and ideologically united” Assange told The Conversation in February as the party prepared to gather the 500 members needed by law to register as a new political force. The members duly came, as who could not be attracted to an idea as old as politics itself – ‘keeping the bastards honest’. Meeting Assange in the confines of the Ecuadorian Embassy from where he is coordinating his party’s campaign, our conversation is saturated with a restrained anger at the current state of Australian politics and his determination for change. The Senate is meant to be “a place of oversight and accountability, he tells me. “Instead it has become a place of deal-making.” It was, and remains, WikiLeaks’ avowed aim to get in there, cast a practised investigative eye over proceedings, and report back to the electorate. The difficulty, as it always seems to be in politics, is implementing these ideals into practice. In the wake of the recent resignation of six party members, including Victorian Senate candidate Leslie Cannold, in protest against
(AAP Image/PA Pool, Anthony Devlin)
the handling of preferences by the WikiLeaks party, the promises of a new style of politics, of openness and truth, becomes tainted with an air of suspicion – whether justified or not. When Ms Cannold claims decisions of the party’s own governing body were “white-anted and resisted”, can it be said the party itself is adhering to an agreed standard of accountability? As national council members resign amidst suggestions the preferences debacle had alienated members and volunteers, can it still be argued WikiLeaks is truly grassroots? Can it still wear its values as a badge of distinction, or do the allegations of ex-party member Daniel Matthews that the party is being ‘pulled in different directions’ ultimately reflect it has at least one political characteristic – the tendency for pragmatism to trump principle. The response from the WikiLeaks Party on these internal divisions has been fairly restrained, issuing a statement thanking those who had chosen to leave for their significant assistance and nominating Dr Binoy Kampmark as Julian Assange’s primary running mate. The statement reiterated the preferences list in NSW which favoured right-wing parties over the Greens was the result of a “clerical error” and would be investigated via an immediate review. The decision in WA to preference the National Party’s candidate David Wirrpanda, was said to have been made by WA WikiLeaks candidate Gerry Georgatos in order to acknowledge Mr Wirrpanda’s status as the first Aboriginal Australian candidate for that party. They promise they are still the party to bring “transparency,
(AAP Image/John Pryke)
accountability and justice to the Australian Parliament.” Despite this explanation, voters may still feel they are entitled to ask - why does the WikiLeaks Party deserve my vote in the Senate? It is the question I asked Assange himself, albeit prior to the mass resignations, which happened just after we met. “The only smart move when voting in the Senate is to vote differently from how you vote in the House of Representatives,” says Assange. The Senate is a place of oversight, he argues, and voting for the same party in the House of Representatives and the Senate results in a party “overseeing itself, which we know doesn’t work”. According to Assange, the two major parties are “corrupted in their purpose by big business, by political dynasties, by their relationships with their friends in the United States”, and the Senate is “a place of secret deals on the one hand, and on the other, a variety of secretive lobbies trying to influence political outcomes,” and there is a strong need for change. Likening parties of political oversight to investigative journalists, Assange says the Australian people are calling for a political force with a proven track record in addressing corruption and exposing it. A party, he says, like WikiLeaks. “WikiLeaks as a publishing organisation has become expert at going into complex organisations, understanding complex relationships and getting hold of information that is trying to be concealed from the public.” Assange says the election of WikiLeaks candidates to the Senate will be like “parachuting crack investigative journalists into the Senate.” “We can use some of the resources that we have to understand the complexity of Australian legislation and present it to the public,” he says. Yet, as the party itself states on its website, the WikiLeaks organisation and the WikiLeaks Party are two distinct entities with a common set of values, albeit with one founder. So how do the two interrelate? Yes they are structurally and legally distinct, agrees Assange. However “it’s called the WikiLeaks Party for a reason – because of the goodwill Australians have towards WikiLeaks as a publishing organisation.” WikiLeaks ‘the organisation’ has
long had a reputation for advocating institutional transparency and the free flow of information, with scant regard for the laws that may or may not exist to prevent this. There now seems to be a new focus on bringing the movement’s ideology into the mainstream through political participation. Many have queried whether this attempted metamorphosis of WikiLeaks from anarchist challenger to legitimate political movement can work in practice. Is there not an inherent conflict in trying to be part of the very machinery of government you’ve spent years challenging? “Not at all,” says Assange. “In fact I think they are complementary.” “The organisation’s capacities simply give me more of an ability to scrutinise the behaviour of the Australian Senate. “The goal of the WikiLeaks Party, like the goal of WikiLeaks, is to expose corruption and bad practice, and to create greater incentives to good practice by increasing the risks of exposure if people in positions of power behave in corrupt ways. “It is not the goal to disable government, but to improve it by creating greater accountability.” However, greater accountability in government is not an aim exclusive to the WikiLeaks Party. It is an aspiration shared by a number of young parties on the Australian political scene aware of the general malaise of an Australian electorate caught in a tumble-dryer of political spin and malfeasance. From the commitment of the Pirate Party to freedom of information and culture, to the libertarian values of the Australian Sex Party, there are a number of fresh ideas on the block. Assange sees the explosion of minor parties as potentially an optimistic sign for Australian political culture, and reflective of two things. One, he says, is the disgust Australians have the behaviour of the major political parties, and the compromise of the Greens in becoming a party of government and no longer performing the role of oversight required in the Senate. The other is “the refusal of the ALP and Coalition to discuss the mass surveillance being inflicted on Australians as a result of its part in Five Eyes and US intelligence,” even though that is being heavily debated in the US.
This refusal to acknowledge issues important to Australians, says Assange, is creating an environment where new parties willing to bring these topics to the forefront of debate are proliferating. “You would think that one of the two major parties in seeking to gain extra electoral advantage would make it an issue, but because they have other loyalties, they’re too scared to do that,” says Assange. However, this proliferation of parties also means the Australian people are faced with not only a difficult choice, but a logistically overwhelming one, particularly in the state in which Assange is running – Victoria. When voters head to the ballot box they will be faced with a ballot paper over a metre long, containing a record 96 candidates from 39 groups, plus independents. Amongst the plethora of minor political parties all clamouring for attention, what makes WikiLeaks different? “It’s one thing to say you believe in something and it’s another to live it,” answers Assange. “My staff, myself and our supporters have really put their liberty on the line to uphold their principles, and that’s a hard test.” He considers his candidates to be representative of this approach, mentioning a strong background in activism and campaigning on social issues as proving “they are walking the talk”. “Out of all our candidates I am the least formally educated, they have PHDs coming out of their ears,” says Assange. “They’re bright, committed people and I’m proud of them.” As for Assange personally, he considers himself an open book. “I’m very boring and very predictable. “My interests and my beliefs over the past 20 years are obvious to everyone. I’ve been extremely stubborn and pigheaded about them, about fighting for justice, for oversight, for the rights of people to know what is going on, even when faced with what many would consider to be overwhelming pressures.” So there we are, back again to the consistent thread that runs through his life work. Accountability. Justice. Transparency. The WikiLeaks test. A test Assange is now asking the Australian people to apply to our Senate, to help determine the role it could play in our democracy.
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6 | UK Life
3 - 9 September 2013
Hot Hot Hot in the city
Get fit for free
7
Roll with the times Cycling is all the rage – it’s a free mode of transport, environmentally friendly and gives you great legs. So if you never learned how to ride then you’re really missing out. Borrow a bike from a buddy and sign up for a free class through TFL. You’ll be road ready in no time without being a danger to motorists.
Honeymooning Nomad > Jacqui Moroney
WHO would have thought that our first summer in London would be so warm? After stories of last year’s being so terribly short and wet, we did not have high expectations before arriving in the UK. In fact, I think we were actually looking forward to the cool change and being able to sleep through the night. However, we returned from two glorious sunny weeks in Spain to the hottest weather London has faced in seven years. There was a week of consecutive days where the temperature has exceeded 30 degrees Celsius and the heatwave warning was officially raised to “level three”. Level three is a health watch criteria for the very old or the chronically sick. For everyone else it simply means the temperature has exceeded the day max of 32C. Though, apparently, it is one stage short of a national emergency. Don’t stress, Londoners! Over the last two weeks, articles, blogs and forums have been popping up all over the internet with tips and suggestions on how to keep cool during the day and sleep at night. My favourites have included “get a hammock” and “sleep on a wet towel”. Thankfully there are also some more sensible suggestions such as “buy an electric fan” or “where to find the best Lidos in London”. Which for those new to London simply means a public pool. Why was London not more prepared for a hot summer? Perhaps it is because London media has spent
Let us rejoice, for online we’re...
By Michaela Gray There’s no need to commit to a costly gym membership or personal trainer with so many free fitness groups meeting all over London. Create an exercise regime that’s fun, social and will give you buns of steel in no time with these top ten free fitness activities.
months informing us of how we have all just “survived” the coldest May since 1996. Rather than reading the papers we simply had to look outside to see that winter seemed to have run straight into summer without a second thought to spring. I think what amazes me the most about the heatwave is that it prompted journalists’ to complain in dry and lengthy spells about the sunshine and excessive heat. The media are adamant about reporting about the weather day in and day out, with the exception of British sporting achievement highlights every now and then. Forget about foreign affairs, violent protests, rigged votes, impending civil wars and world poverty, instead it is constant stories of wild heatwaves on the continent and the threats of flash flooding caused by the torrential storms that the high humidity brings in the UK. It’s enough to make you wish for the return of winter. At least until next year.
still FREE
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1
Rollerblade Revolution Strap on your skates or rollerblades and join dozens of thrill seekers on a tour of London like you’ve never seen it before. London Friday Night Skate and Sunday Stroll has all bases covered – marshals (on skates) to alert traffic, a portable sound system blaring funky beats and events catering for experienced or novice skaters. Even if you’re not keen on taking part this is a spectacle worth seeing, pick a spot along the route to watch the daredevils race past.
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Outdoor gym Exercise at your own pace in the great outdoors at one of dozens of outdoor gyms in London. Cardio, strength and tone equipment caters for all levels of fitness and come without the pressure of a gym instructor breathing down your neck. Outdoors gyms don’t cost a cent and are open around the clock. Boot Camp There’s no water boarding or nail pulling, though some would consider it torture – British Military Fitness is
certainly not for the faint hearted. With sessions run outdoors rain, hail or shine, these are fitness classes for those after a serious workout. You don’t need to be an athlete to get started but you sure will become one, or die trying. Take advantage of the free trial offer to see if it’s for you.
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Hit me baby Following Andy Murray’s Wimbledon win, the UK is keen to generate more tennis stars. Tennis for Free is exactly that, just don’t tell the instructors you’re an Aussie. Go walkabout Explore Greater London on one of hundreds of tried and tested walks. Writer and walker David Cotton has put together an incredibly detailed log of 800 wandering routes in Britain that will get you off the couch and into the countryside.
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Run wild and free There’s no need to wait for the London Marathon when you can get a 5km dose of running every weekend. Held at lush parklands across London, you can enjoy the scenery while wishing you hadn’t drunk so much the night before or had that second serving of dinner.
8 9
Sweaty Betty Ladies can take advantage of an entire month of free fitness events this September, sponsored by clothing brand Sweaty Betty. Get Fit 4 Free aims to promote new fitness trends to shake up your standard run-around-the-block routine.
Get creative With green spaces all over London there’s nothing but a lack of imagination stopping you from getting fit. Get a group of friends together and head to your nearest park for a game of touch football, shoot hoops or challenge each other to a push up contest. Make a day of it by taking a picnic, just watch out for the squirrels.
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Online Offers Jump on to Gumtree UK to check out a range of sporting groups and personal trainers offering free trials. It’s an ideal way to find out what you like before committing to a membership. Teams advertise here for new players and you can place your own ad for free if you want to start your own team or group of like-minded fitness fanatics.
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AustralianTimes.co.uk/uk-life
Food & Wine | 7
AustralianTimes.co.uk
Confessions of a fussy, flying foodie
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Details Turkish Market, Maybachufer, 12047 Markthalle IX, Eisenbahnstasse, 10997 Melbourne Canteen, Pannierstrasse 57, 12047 Lupus, Pannierstrasse 40, 12047 Chi Chu, Laustizer Platz 14, 10997
When following a strict diet, eating out whilst on holiday can prove a challenge. Luckily Berlin has a range of options suited to everyone, whether gluten-free, vegan or lactose-free.
The Whole Meal > Ally Juchnevicius
The first thing I packed for my recent trip to Berlin was not the typical essentials like my passport or plane tickets. It was a 500g bag of quinoa and some rice cakes. For the past eight weeks, I’ve been on a dietician-imposed elimination diet that has meant no gluten, lactose or fructose and saying goodbye to a whole range of vegetables and legumes for two months. It was overwhelming at first. But after feeling bloated and nauseous every afternoon for many months I was up for the challenge in the hope of determining the culprit. After an initial shock factor, it has been surprisingly easy (although admittedly time-consuming and a little tedious) to maintain. Except when it has come to eating out. With such complex dietary requirements, I’ve been housebound at mealtimes. So you can imagine the anxiety I felt when my long-anticipated Berlin holiday fell just before the end of the elimination phase. Luckily for me, and anyone else with allergies, intolerances or simply certain food preferences, Berlin has come up with the (gluten-free) goods that will allow even the fussiest of eaters to enjoy their city break.
Self-Catering
Firstly, for those planning to cook, there’s no need to waste precious luggage space on food supplies. Quinoa, rice cakes and all kinds of gluten and lactose-free foods, as well as fruit, vegetables, baking goods, cheese and more, can be found at Bio Company, an organic whole food supermarket chain with 26 locations across Berlin. If one isn’t near you, there are locally run whole food stores in most neighbourhoods. For fresh produce, the brilliant Turkish Market along the canal in Kreuzberg is on Tuesdays and Fridays. Further north a recently revived market hall, Markthalle IX, plays host to a lively food market Thursday nights and all day Friday and Saturday. Local farmers
Berlin Special
and food producers attend, so you can pick up artisan cheese or bread to take away, or linger and enjoy melt-in-your-mouth pulled pork from Big Stuff Smoked BBQ, vegan burgers from Kantine Neun or smoked fish from Glut & Spaene.
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Breakfast
For Aussie-style breakky, try Melbourne Canteen in Kreuzberg. Eggs are cooked how you like them and served alongside a mix-and-match selection of delicious sides including perfectly crispy bacon, cherry tomatoes and garlic mushrooms. The menu is in both German and English, handy for those of us not so familiar with Deutsch and trying to avoid certain foods. As you would expect from a café inspired by Melbourne, the coffee is also exceptional.
Lunch/Dinner
Further down the same road is Lupus, a café/restaurant open all day serving locally sourced, organic dishes. The menu offers lots of gluten-free and vegan options alongside meat dishes, catering for everyone. With a beautiful, rustic interior, and ample outdoor seating, it’s the kind of place where a breakfast of quinoa-cranberry museli could very quickly turn into an evening of black bean burgers and cucumber pomegranate salad. For dinner, my favourite spot was Vietnamese restaurant Chi Chu located on the lovely green square of Laustizer Platz. Choose from inexpensive, fresh Pho soups or one of the many rice and veggie variations. Sit outside and enjoy the buzz of the neighbourhood as the day fades away. After a week exploring Berlin’s food scene I hadn’t even scratched the surface. But I did discover there is something for every taste and budget, unlike London no hour-long queues at the hotspots, and plenty of healthy, wholesome meal opportunities to satisfy even the fussiest of foodies.
MATE, THIS MATTERS IT’S YOUR FUTURE IT’S OUR PLANET
VOTE 1 GREENS Voting is open for one more week You can vote in person at: Australia House, Strand, London Monday 2 September 2013 Tuesday 3 September 2013 Wednesday 4 September 2013 Thursday 5 September 2013 Friday 6 September 2013
11:00 – 19:30 11:00 – 19:30 11:00 – 19:30 11:00 – 21:00 11:00 – 21:00
For more information, go to greens.org.au/voting-overseas facebook.com/Australian.Greens
Authorised by Chris Harris for the Australian Greens. 8-10 Hobart Place, Canberra ACT 2600
twitter.com/Greens
8 | Entertainment See what we are following this week on
3 - 9 September 2013
Take a sneak peek behind London’s closed doors By Kiel Egging
#Auspol @AndrewVoss9 I really wish the election campaign could go a bit longer. Going to miss it. #auspol @MiaFreedman Tony Windsor has always seemed like a thoroughly decent bloke. #australianstory #auspol @TwoPaddocks Back amongst the most DISMAL of elections - Australia - nothing to admire or even like among the big players. #auspol @Peter_Fitz Weird. The Libs proud boast in their advertising: "The 10 Billion dollar Clean Energy Fund will go!" This is a PLUS? Staggering. #auspol @Joe_Hildebrand Can't believe the Sunday Tele splashed with Rudd going on Kitchen Cabinet. They never did anything like that to promote my show. :-( #auspol @Wil_Anderson If you really wanted to destroy your opponent's campaign all you really need is one cute baby with a cold-sore... #auspol
Follow us on Twitter @AustralianTimes
What’s On Jamie McDowell and Tom Thumb 6 - 8 September @London Wonderground Ali McGregor's Alchemy 13 - 14 September @London Wonderground Amity Affliction 14 September @Underworld Briefs: The Second Coming 19 - 21 September @London Wonderground Adam Hills Happyism 22 September @Hammersmith Apollo Claudia O'Doherty 23 September - 5 October @Soho Theatre FilmFest Australia October 2013 @Barbican Centre Barry Gibb 3 October @O2 Arena Tim Minchin in Jesus Christ Superstar 13 October @02 Arena For full details... ...and more Aussie gigs go to: AustralianTimes.co.uk/entertainment
Aussie expats have the chance to explore some of London’s most interesting and exclusive venues, homes and architecture during the annual Open House London weekend in late September. Organised by architecture education organization Open-City, more than 800 buildings of all kinds will open their doors to the public for free on 21 and 22 September. The event’s theme this year is ‘Celebrating architecture, people and place’, and explores issues that are relevant to local communities and how the built environment is evolving. Among the types of buildings you can check out are more than 100 private homes, architect’s homes and housing developments, 50 landscapefocused projects at the Landscape Institute and various eco, zero carbon and retro-fit buildings. Engineering buffs can speak to representatives from the Institution of Civil Engineers on a series of walks and construction/engineering site visits, while those keen to learn more about the transformation of East London can attend a series of expert-led events focusing on the
Suburban Studio (c) Ashton Porter Architects
Dalston Eastern Curve Garden, Hackney
regeneration of areas surrounding the Olympic Park. Alongside all of this are kids and family activities, competitions, and a series of special treks and trails, including Maggie’s Culture Crawl on Friday, 20 September – the eve of the weekend’s festivities. The ‘crawl’ is a moonlit walk throughout London with the opportunity to be the first to see the Open House architecture before the public, and raise money for Maggie’s Cancer Centres. Finally, a handful of the city’s most iconic buildings are also opening their doors – but you have to register in a ballot to get inside. These buildings include British Prime Minister David Cameron’s residence 10 Dowling St, the view from the Shard, EDF Energy London Eye and Grays Inn. Founding Director of Open-City Victoria Thornton said this year’s program offered a diverse range of activities that will appeal to enthusiasts of all ages. “In 2012 87% of participants said the Open House annual event was the best way see, explore and learn about the capital’s architecture,” she said. “This year we’re putting together a great programme of open buildings, walks, tours and talks
30 St Mary Axe, City of London (c) Grant Smith/VIEW Pictures
taking in everything from awardwinning contemporary homes to major regeneration areas.” For the full program of listings, head to
Openhouselondon.co.uk. Entries for the ballot to 10 Dowling St, The View from The Shard, EDF Energy London Eye and Grays Inn close on Friday 13 September.
Two shows, one Ali McGregor n
Ali McGregor, renowned cabaret and opera singer is doubling the fun at the London Wonderground this month. She is bringing her famous Late-Nite VarietyNite Night to the Spiegeltent, as well as premiering her solo show, Alchemy.
By Thomas Jones NO arts festival is complete without Australian songstress Ali McGregor. Ali’s Late-Nite Variety-Nite Night has been a long time favourite at Edinburgh Fringe, Adelaide Cabaret and Melbourne Comedy Festivals. Showcasing the best of the fest, Ali acts as master of ceremonies in this cultish mix of cabaret, vaudeville and comedy acts. “I sit on stage, and just watch proceedings and introduce people. It feels like a soirée in someone’s house. There’s a lot of interaction between people, which is always nice and makes for a really unique evening,” Ali tells Australian Times. Ali played host at the Edinburgh Fringe, where she says the line-ups were incredible. This month she will be bringing her muchloved variety show to the Spiegeltent at the London Wonderground. “I’ve got Mannish from Frisky
and Mannish, who’s going to be my butler and general dogsbody. There’ll be a top stand-up comedian, a top cabaret, and a top burlesque performer. “It’ll be a really fun night.” Also playing at the Wonderground, and making its London premier, is Alchemy, Ali’s solo show. As one of Australia’s most versatile singers – her vocal range spans almost four octaves – Ali uses this performance to combine two of her musical loves. “When I first started singing I was introduced to Jazz, music of the 40s and 50s, and the great American songbook. I love that style of singing, and that’s what led me into singing in the first place,” Ali says. At the same time, growing up in Australia, Ali was watching TV programs Rage and Video Hits, and became more immersed in pop music. “I thought it would be great to get those pop songs, but then do them in the style of music I love. Give them a bit of a jazz makeover. “The term Alchemy has come from
the idea of turning trash into treasure. Turning what many people think of as just throw away pop songs, and giving them a bit of class.” Accompanied by the finest jazz musicians, she creates unique versions of hit songs from the 80s and 90s: think Oops I Did It Again by Britney Spears, Song 2 by Blur, Push It by Salt-n-Pepa, Firestarter by The Prodigy, and Barbie Girl by Aqua. No genre is off limits. “They were all the songs I loved, and knew every word to. Most of them I found out later I knew all the wrong words,” she admits. Sam Keevers, Ali’s music director and keyboard player, and one Australia’s best jazz pianists and composers, helped translate these tracks into viable jazz songs. “He’s incredible. Sometimes he just looks at me as if ‘what on earth are you making me do’. He listened to The Prodigy songs and went ‘I have no idea what you want me to do with these.’ “I had long lists of songs I wanted to look at, and then when we worked through them, some of them didn’t work. Some of them I couldn’t bring my own personality to. Some of them I loved so much I couldn’t break away from the original interpretation of them. Others, for one reason or another, didn’t work.” The end result – the songs that
did work – has proven a hit with audiences around Australia, and at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe. By listening to new arrangements of familiar songs, and of course Ali’s incredible voice, people have discovered a new love for these tunes. “There’s also people who come to the show who don’t know any of the songs and it’s been great getting feedback from them saying that they didn’t recognise any of the songs, but that they really loved them,” Ali explains. “I love the idea that someone could come and be presented with these songs as though they were original to a certain extent, seeing them for the first time, and taking them at face value and not from references of the past.” Following her shows at the London Wonderground, Ali is returning to Australia to give birth; she is six months pregnant. Beyond that, Jazzamatazz, Ali’s song-and-dance show for kids, currently proving very popular at the Edinburgh Fringe, is hot on her 2014 to-do-list. Ali McGregor’s Late-Nite VarietyNite Night on 5 and 7 September. Ali McGregor’s Alchemy on 13 and 14 September. All performances are at the Spiegeltent, London Wonderground, Southbank. To book tickets visit Londonwonderground.co.uk.
Entertainment | 9
AustralianTimes.co.uk
Beatboxing all the way to the (Bank) n
When Tom Thum’s versatile voicebox meets Jamie MacDowell’s award-winning approach to words and melodies, the result is a showcase of true Aussie talent. Catch them at London Wonderground at Southbank this September.
By Michael McCormick
(c) Elixabete Lopez Photography
Antipodean talent showcased at Literary BBQ LAST Thursday night the Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith played host to a wealth of Australian and New Zealand literary talent at a special Literary BBQ event. A showcase event for next year’s Australian and New Zealand Festival of Literature and Arts to be held in London, the Literary BBQ was a fantastic mix of established and emerging literary talent, short film, music and of course, delicious BBQ food. Hosted under the last rays of the summer sun on the roof gardens of the Lyric, the event was held to offer both the booktrade and members of the public a taste of what’s to come next May. Festival Director John Slack said the Literary BBQ hinted at the richness of content to be expected at next year’s Festival. “The expat community was out in
(c) Elixabete Lopez Photography
force but there was a fantastically positive response from our British friends and colleagues as well, which plays nicely into our goal of creating a ‘global festival’ presenting Australian and New Zealand stories on a British stage,” said Mr Slack. “We couldn’t have asked for more perfect conditions - nor writers and performers - for our opening event.” Proceedings were opened with a powerful performance of songs and the Haka from London-based group Ngāti Rānana. Kathy Lette, dressed in patriotic star-spangled glamour, welcomed gathered guests in her unique style. Many in the UK still presumed an Australian’s main topic of conversation revolves around how long we’ve got to go on our parole, and that our opening conversational gambit is to crush a beer can on our foreheads, she told the audience. “In reality, the opposite is true. Australians read more books per head of population and attend more cultural events than any other nation on earth. “This literary festival will give us an opportunity to showcase our remarkable, original, quirky and bloody brilliant literary and creative talents.” Hosted by Stella Duffy, the event featured an evening of Antipodean storytelling with readings and conversation from an impressive
Festival General Manager Trish Wadley, Festival Director Rina Gill, Garry McQuinn and Kathy Lette.
(c) Elixabete Lopez Photography
to perform at TedX and for the video receiving such a positive response, “having a viral video almost cheapens the fact that [he] has been doing it for so long, because people don’t get the history or the background with the one video.” Thum believes that it’s just “how much you want it” and “how driven you are to learn” that will determine the time frame it will take for a person to become a world-class beatboxer. It took him several years to develop the talent that is leaving audiences in awe today. “I just started off very base level like everyone else, just making terrible noises. Eventually people stopped telling me to shut up and started paying me,” Thum explains. Thum will be performing with singer songwriter Jamie MacDowell at the London Wonderground as part of the Festival of Neighbourhood on 6 and 8 of September. Thum describes the show as “unessentially comedic, comedy through chaos.” Tickets are available through Londonwonderground.co.uk.
(c) Elixabete Lopez Photography
line-up of literary talent. It included acclaimed author of Jasper Jones Craig Silvey, Courtney Collins, Hannah Kent and Eleanor Catton. It was interspersed with award-winning short films including Warwick Thornton’s Nana and Taika Waititi's Two Cars, One Night and music from Ben Fletcher. In attendance were members of the Antipodean expat community, representatives from the Australian and New Zealand High Commission and Australian state offices, and UK-based heads from several key Antipodean organisations, with members spanning the business and cultural sectors. The Australian and New Zealand Festival of Literature and Arts is set to be officially launched on 25 November, with the Australian High Commissioner Mike Rann announcing the headline acts. If the Literary BBQ is any indication, the Festival is set to be an amazing showcase of Antipodean talent which will impress both expat attendees and UK audiences.
Au S t r A l i A
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By Alex Ivett
Everyone has that annoying friend who just can’t seem to keep quiet for very long. They’re either singing, humming or tapping on something and, for the most part, we just want them to can it. Australianborn and now world famous beatboxer, Tom Thum, was that friend when he was younger. The multi-talented Thum, who was inspired by the Brisbane hip-hop scene, shot to fame after a recent performance at a TedX Talk in Sydney. The video of this performance became the most watched TedX Talk ever on YouTube after just four days, and has now received several million views on the video sharing site. “I was initially pencilled on as a break between the speakers,” Thum explains. He soon realised that he had to produce something to rival the other speakers who were all discussing “crazy life changing concepts.” “I didn’t have a life changing concept,” Thum says. “[Beatboxing] changed my life but I didn’t think it would change anyone else’s.” Nonetheless he adapted his usual performance to one better suited to the audience and they were rightly amazed by his bizarre vocal abilities. Thum stresses that this single video doesn’t demonstrate the amount of hours he has spent practicing his art. He says that even though he is eternally grateful for the opportunity
10 | Travel
3 - 9 September 2013
n
Oktoberfest is a must-attend event for Australians living in the UK, but surviving it is another matter altogether. We’ve got the ultimate Oktoberfest Survival Guide, top ten tips for making it through – liver, wallet and dignity intact.
Includes free unlimited booze on the road. Huge party event in every city.
Image by Bill Townsend
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7. PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
3. PARIS, FRANCE
8. BUDAPAST, HUNGARY
4. BRUGES, BELGIUM
9. MUNICH, GERMANY
5. AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
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FOR MORE DETAILS WRITE TO GEMMA@STOKETRAVEL.COM OKTOBERFEST THE RUNNING OF THE BULLS WORLD CUP BRAZIL & CARNIVAL BRAZIL THE SURFARI SPRING BREAK IBIZA
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FACEBOOK.COM/STOKETRAVEL Image by Ines Saraiva
Travel | 11
AustralianTimes.co.uk
Image by Sanfamedia.com
Get More Travel
AustralianTimes.co.uk/travel Image by Ulises Estrada
Be our next great travel writer Get your travel story published with Australian Times and WIN a £250 travel voucher from our friends at Topdeck. Do you harbour dreams of being the next Bill Bryson? Submit your original travel articles for publication on the Australian Times website. The editor will then select the best story each month to be published in the Travel section of the Australian Times newspaper with the writer winning the £250 voucher to any Topdeck tour of their choice! Embrace your own writing style and make those dreams of being a published travel writer a reality.
How to submit Email your feature to editor@australiantimes.co.uk with the subject ‘Great Travel Writer’. It should be: • 600-1200 words length • An original first hand account • Accompanied by 3 high resolution photos taken on the trip Image by Sanfamedia.com
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12 | Travel
3 - 9 September 2013
Butterfly mountain
n
TRAVEL WRITER WINNER | To reach the sacred mountain of Sri Pada in Sri Lanka HELEN MOAT climbs a winding staircase leading to a temple in the sky, and makes a valuable discovery at the top.
Travel Writer Winner Yellow and white butterflies fluttered like tissue paper along the sheer staircase overhead, receding into the mountain mist with the steps. “Look, the butterflies are saying to follow them,” Amila said, “just like they told the ancient kings.” The butterflies come from the four corners of Sri Lanka’s island to worship Buddha’s footprint and die, story has it. As I heaved up the remaining steps, I was thinking I might have to join them. My lungs were wheezing like clapped-out bagpipes. I was sure the air was made of gravel.
“You mustn’t think of giving up,” my Sri Lankan companions encouraged me. “Don’t think about what’s ahead. Take each and every step as it comes. Don’t look up.” Worshipers believe it’s unlucky not to finish the climb – causing the mountain gods great displeasure. Like the butterflies, I’d been lured to the sacred mountain of Sri Pada, Adam’s Peak. I’d been seduced by the fairy-tale picture - like a child’s drawing of a pyramid mountain with its winding staircase leading to a temple in the sky. But on arrival I’d found a muddy path lined with stalls of bald-headed dolls, plastic bats and balls made in Korea and psychedelic-coloured ornaments. It looked more like a scene from Blackpool promenade than the entrance to a sacred mountain. And sure enough, Sri Lankans were stepping out in flip flops and smart-casual dress as if taking a stroll on the sea-front, not heading up a mountain of 7,359 feet. They pottered along carrying large flasks of tea, plastic bags of snacks, even children. The path was easy to begin with, the red tilak pressed upon our foreheads to give us Saman’s protection – one of the guardian gods of Sri Pada. As first-timers, white cloth bands were tied to our wrists too, a coin wrapped in them for luck. At Indikatu Pana we’d unravelled spools of thread along the hedgerow. Here Lord Buddha had paused to mend his robe, it’s said. The threads stretched out along the path-side like a great white cobweb. “Karunavai,” pilgrims greeted us. Compassion. “Theruwan Sanarai.” May the triple gem of Buddha protect you. Amila encouraged me to greet the pilgrims with these ancient spiritual
Be the next great travel writer Helen Moat is the winner of our Great Travel Writer competition for August. She’s won a £250 travel voucher courtesy of our friends at Topdeck. Submit your entries for September now for your chance to be our next Great Travel Writer. Go to australiantimes. co.uk/travel for details.
greetings. I stumbled clumsily on the words but the Sri Lankans smiled and answered, delighted that this European was speaking ‘their language’. The atmosphere on the path was one of cheerfulness and encouragement. A couple of teenage girls stopped to give me a handful of dried fruit. As we climbed every upwards, the steps felt relentless. A mother and daughter struggled upwards. “How old is your mother?” I asked. “Eighty-three – and on her 65th ascent.” I scolded myself: Get a grip. At last we’d ran out of steps. Below the temple, monks were laughing together, huddled over steaming cups of tea. We passed on by, making our way to the shrine of the giant footprint venerated by four major religions: For Buddhists, none other than Lord Buddhas; for Hindus, Shiva’s; for Muslims, Adam’s and for Christians, St Thomas’. I stood with my own thoughts as Amila bowed down at the shrine of the footprint. We tied our wristbands on a post and made a wish. Dimuthu and I rang the bell, its announcement of our ascent echoing over the Peak Wilderness. I thought of the eighty-three year old ringing the bell sixty-five times – one peel for every ascent. “You know, if your wish comes true,” Dimuthu said. “You must come back and climb the mountain again.” I nodded and smiled. I’d asked for happiness - and happiness was climbing Sri Pada just the one glorious time. Turning to face the long downward climb, I felt strangely emotional. It was just a mountain for me, yet at that moment I felt something in my life was going to change.
Professional Life | 13
AustralianTimes.co.uk
the Expat factor
Extraordinary Aussies in the UK
I moved to the UK in February 2009. I had planned to spend four years travelling the world teaching English; the UK was my first stop. I only planned to come here for 9-12 months, but I met my partner in late 2009 and we became civil partners in 2010. I’ve now been here four and a half years. In Australia I worked in refugee and migrant education, and I expected I would be able to work in that field here. However this is a service that is severely underfunded and therefore the employment opportunities are very limited. I ended up working in international education at a language school and business college. The big difference I noticed in this sector was the government’s view of international students. Over the past few years the government has sought to make it very difficult for international students. As a result many colleges have been forced to close. In Australia we value the contribution of international students to our society and economy much more.
Specialist team of immigration solicitors. Specialists in Indefinite Leave to Remain Applications and all Work Permit applications. back-Jing.pdf 2/23/2010 11:05:18 PM
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info@lammeerabux.com | 020 8253 0099 | www.lammeerabux.com Cygnet House 12-14 Sydenham Road Croydon CR0 2EE
"Knowing that the country you intend to return to is heading in the right direction is important" I am now the Higher Education Programme Leader (Travel and Tourism Management) at North East Surrey College of Technology (Nescot). Prior to this I worked at Mayfair College for international students. At both of the colleges that I have worked at, I have been involved in building successful travel and tourism management programmes and have been able to progress my career into academic management. I love teaching and seeing my students develop their skills, be that in English or travel and tourism management. Working in the UK has given me the opportunity to teach students from a different range of backgrounds than I would experience in Australia, with many more European and South American students choosing to study in the UK.
"UK society is very divided, whether it be along class, wealth, ethnicity or regional lines" In addition to my full-time job I am also spearheading the Australian Greens UK campaign. I have volunteered on almost every Greens election campaign since 1998, so when I was living here and an election was called back home it seemed only natural to get involved here. Having co-ordinated campaigns in Australia I took on the role here.
w w w . l am m eer ab u x . c o m
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Now recruiting
Mat Hines
Lecturer and Australian Greens UK Campaigner It’s important for Australians living in the UK to maintain an interest in Australian politics. For most Australians, living in the UK is likely to be a short-term thing – unless you have the benefit of ancestry. As such, knowing that the country you intend to return to is heading in the right direction is important. The lurch to the right that we have seen from both the Coalition and Labor has also damaged the international reputation of Australia – whether that be cruel and internationally condemned treatment of asylum seekers, the failure to support marriage equality or the back flips on addressing climate change.
"Brighton is a regular weekend trip for a bit of salt air" I think for many Australians, just like it was for me, the attraction of the UK is the opportunity of basing yourself in Europe while having the opportunity to work and develop your career. UK society is very divided, whether it be along class, wealth, ethnicity or regional lines. Also, it represents the failure
A dynamic engineering firm, working with leading UK companies
of one of the richest countries in the world to use its wealth of recent decades to invest in education, housing and transport. This failure has led to many of the problems now prevalent in the UK. On the positive side, London’s free community festivals in summer – such as Lambeth Country Show - are a real highlight. I love my local neighbourhood, Crystal Palace, which has a great festival in summer. Brixton Village market is one of my favourite places to go in London. Farthing Down and Happy Valley, south of Croydon, are great for a bit of countryside on the edge of London. Every second weekend I spend with my step-daughter so we spend a lot of time exploring London’s parks or walking in the countryside. Brighton is a regular weekend trip for a bit of salt air. Lulworth Cove was a recent discovery that I’ll go back to. For a hit of heat and arid landscapes the Greek islands, Italy and Morocco are all favourites. Interview by Alex Ivett
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14 | Professional Life
Great News!
3 - 9 September 2013
Dollar Review
You can now get your Australian Times newspaper every week as a FREE digital edition for your iPad, iPhone or Android.
Just scan this QR code or go to
AustralianTimes.co.uk/newspapers
Big week ahead for Aussie dollar Exchange rates GBP/AUD: 1.7303 EUR/AUD: 1.4680 USD/AUD: 1.1112 NZD/AUD: 0.8697 13:13 GMT, 2 September 2013
By Dylan Goate IT is a very busy week for Australian markets. Key economic data releases are due every day in addition to Tuesday’s Reserve Bank meeting. The highlights for the week will be the RBA’s interest rated decision and the June quarter Gross Domestic Product figures on Wednesday. The Australian dollar began trading last week at around 1.7289 to the British pound and around 1.1099 against the US dollar. The Aussie weakened throughout the week against both currencies to end
the week at 1.7422 to the pound and 1.1237 to the greenback. The Australian dollar opened firmer this week though, following positive Chinese data, fading worries about an imminent military strike against Syria and encouraging local data showing a
rise in building approvals which jumped 10.8 per cent in July, more than twice the increase forecasted. Home prices in Australia’s major cities rose for a third straight month in August.
Note: The above exchange rates are based on “interbank” rates. If you want to transfer money to or from Australia then please register/login on our website, or call us on 0808 141 2335 for a live dealing rate. Make use of a Rate Notifier to send you alert when the Australian exchange rate reaches levels you are looking for.
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Sport | 15
AustralianTimes.co.uk
THE
In2Touch Social World Cup 2013 By Mike Abromowitz of In2Touch This past Saturday, teams from around the UK converged on King Georges Park in Wandsworth to take in part in the seventh annual In2Touch Social Touch World Cup. The format follows that each team entering into the tournament is allocated a country to play as and come dressed up in as that country. This makes for a most entertaining spectacle as teams who normally would play as Gurus, Hot Custard, Ralph Wiggums Wingmen in a normal league are all given countries such as Austria, Egypt, Turkey and Greece amongst others to dress up in fancy dress. Once again the weather turned up to play its part and all the teams were able to showcase their talents under cloudless skies and also work on their late summer tans when not playing. The referees were suitably attired in Superman, Batman, Bat Girl and Super Girl outfits, to ensure that the teams knew what they were up against if they stepped out of line. The teams were divided into three pools and each team had four pool games before the quarter finals.
Austria, Sweden, Ireland, Egypt, USA, Australia, France and South African all advanced into the quarter finals. Whether it was the hot conditions or the local refreshments that began to take their toll, teams who earlier in the day looked as though they would be in contention come the final games seemed to drop off the pace a bit which resulted in a final never before seen in any world cup competition to date, South Africa versus…..Austria! With the Austrians resplendent in local yodelling attire and the South Africans dressed up as the Big 8, it was a really closely contested affair with the Austrians eventually triumphing and in so doing claiming their first Word Cup title after many attempts. The hot action on the fields culminated in the after party and an amazing evening in GJ’s in Wandsworth, where our very own piano man kept the songs flowing until the DJ took over to keep all of those folk still standing, rocking until the early hours of the morning. This is undoubtedly the best and most social touch tournament in the UK, with most teams returning year after year to enjoy the fun social atmosphere. This year’s tournament again did not disappoint.
Round 23 By Will Denton
Fancy Dress Winners: Sweden ‘Ikea/aekI’ - Biona Organic Passda Basilico Best Team Spirit Award: Fiji – The Try Hards Most Social Team: Samoa – Touch Us If You Dare Final Winners: Austria – London Gurus Why not join us for the Late Summer and Autumn leagues, with 16 venues around England from Clapham Common and Regents Park to St Albans and Manchester, with over 600 teams playing in the London leagues alone and over 1,000 teams playing country wide, touch rugby is taking the nation by storm. For more information or if you would like to register for an O2 Touch league or competition, go to www.in2touch.com/uk or e-mail info@in2touch.com or call the London office on 020 85420827
Freo and Geelong tempers set to flare in AFL final ...continued from p16
for striking Ballantyne in this year’s pre-season and James Kelly missed the start of the season over an incident with Docker Tendai Mzungu in last year’s finals. Scott said there was potential for tempers to flare again. “You’d be crazy to deny there have been some heated moments,” the Cats coach said.
“The potential is there. They could antagonise us and potentially we could respond in a bad way.” Scott will instruct his players to stick within the rules without losing their aggressive edge. “We want our players to play near the edge because that’s what competitors do,” he said. “We’re expecting Fremantle to be the same.” By Sam Lienert in Melbourne
Well, we made it. The pain is over for some, the dim flickering light has been finally snuffed out for a few, but for eight teams, September glory is within sniffing distance. Earlier in the week, with the AFL keen to keep their apparent ‘principles’ intact, an emergency presser was called to announce Essendon would actually be booted out of finals for 2013. This was in addition to copping a bit of a fine and James Hird banned from having anything to do with the joint for a year. It was weird seeing it all being made official after nine months of speculation produced by a daily circus of innuendo, half truths, blatant grandstanding, dummy spits, media packs and question deflection. Yet amongst all this, the Red and Black served up some great footy, and it’s hard to not feel sorry for the players as 12 months of work goes down the toilet. Unless of course you hate the Bombers and think they are a bunch of dirty cheats. Whatever your preference, it’s all just history now. In was an interesting end to the season, with not a lot of consequences, with only the final eight position to be decided. The Lions were requiring a
RUBDOWN semi-miracle in beating Geelong, something that nearly really happened because Ross Lyon deep down is a sentimental sort of bloke. I shall explain – try and keep up, ok. So, the Dockers could’ve finished second if the Cats lost and the Dockers won. The Dockers played the percentages and gave the Lions no chance of beating the Cats, so he put out a second string team of kids and water boys. This left all the really good players at home, resigning to the fact they would finish in third, thus travelling in week one of finals. The Saints flogged the Dockers. Meanwhile, the Cats may have had one eye on the ground scoreboard because they suddenly didn’t need to try and win anymore – second was theirs if Freo lost. But because the Cats are all competitive and stuff, they played good for a bit and won by a point. Lions out for 2013. Done. Why so sentimental? Well, Ross tried to show a bit of heart and send the Saints out of 2013 on a good high, as well as farewelling three greats of the club. See? The plan was never in doubt, right Ross? Now, what we all look forward to is upon us. FINALS. FINALLY! Starting with Hawks vs. Swans (wow) then Cats vs. Freo (ooh baby) followed by Pies vs. Port (please, PLEASE Port, rock up in the ‘prison bars’ guernsey) and finishing up with Tigers vs. Blues at the G. May God have mercy upon us all.
Try Tag Rugby turns four CLAWS OUT: Chris Scott (right) coach of Geelong with captain Joel Selwood on Monday (AAP Image/Hamish Blair)
More mature Cooper has learned lessons ...continued from p16 “I just believe if Cooper plays well and (Will) Genia plays well then the Wallabies play well. “I truly believe he’s a game breaker and especially if his confidence is way up there.” Cooper has shown glimpses but overall hasn’t enjoyed his best season in 2013. He was overlooked by Robbie Deans for the Lions series, didn’t feature in the Reds’ top-10 in their
Stan Pilecki Medal standings and came off the bench in the two Bledisloe Cup losses where he opted against taking on the All Black defence. But Wallabies stalwarts believe he’s in far better shape to guide the team around the field than last year when he described the team’s culture as “toxic” after being criticised by Deans for his display against Argentina on the Gold Coast. Cooper, himself, has admitted he’s since matured and learned his lessons.
“I’ve definitely noticed that from Quade, and that’s all for the better I think for him,” hooker Stephen Moore said on Monday. “He’s been really mature in the camps and has kept working hard and that’s very noticeable to see that and it’s really good. “Look, you never close the door on anyone in Australian rugby and a guy like that with so much talent; it’s great to have those kind of players in your squad." By Jim Morton in Brisbane
Roosters-Souths brace for epic decider
WHILE the talk out of both the Roosters and Rabbitohs camps has centred on the fact they are both eyeing the big one on October 6, bragging rights, title favouritism and the JJ Giltinan Shield will all be on offer in Friday night’s minor premiership-deciding blockbuster at ANZ Stadium. With the minor premiership going to the side that wins the teams’ finalround clash, it’s a rare climax to the regular NRL season. It has occurred just three times in the last 50 years - including once between the bitter local rivals in 1968. NRL officials are hopeful of attracting in excess of 50,000 people to ANZ Stadium on Friday night, with Roosters prop Jared WaereaHargreaves doing little to hide the enormity of the occasion.
“I can’t wait,” the Kiwi Test prop told the Roosters website. “This has been the game that everyone’s talked about all year - first and second. “Words can’t really describe how excited we are to get out there and have a good test.” The hype surrounding the clash may go some way to explaining the Roosters’ lacklustre performance against Gold Coast on Sunday - the tri-colours going into the contest knowing that they could not change the fact the minor premiership would be decided in the final round. While eagerly anticipating the clash, Rabbitohs coach Michael Maguire admitted his side had their sights set on grander accomplishments, with the Bunnies eyeing their first title since 1971. “That’s (the minor premiership)
something we’d like to achieve along the way, but the boys are pretty focused on what’s in front of us over this next month,” Maguire said. While the minor premiership title by its nature does not carry any bonus heading into the finals series, the top placed team could ensure they avoid a daunting trip to Melbourne during the finals. The Storm, who shape as the biggest obstacle to a RoostersRabbitohs decider, are likely to finish fourth - placing them in a match against the minor premiers in week one of the finals. Even if the Storm won that contest, there would be no-way the minor premiers could be matched-up against the reigning premiers before the grand final. By Steve Jancetic in Sydney
By Phillip Browne THE autumn season kicked off last week at six venues, with another five venues commencing this week. The season has already broken last year’s autumn participation record. With the Borough, Rotherhithe, Shoreditch (Tues) and Tooting Bec leagues all selling out, there is still limited space available at the following venues: Battersea Park, Highbury (Mon), Finsbury Park, Shoreditch, White City (Wed), Barnes, Highbury (Thurs), Clapham Common (Sat) and Hyde Park (Sun). Try Tag Rugby will be turning four next week and to celebrate the UK Tag Rugby community and friends are all invited to Try Tag Rugby’s Fourth Birthday Thames Boat Party on Friday 13 September. The cruise departs from Westminster Pier (closest station Westminster) at 7.15pm and returns to Temple Pier at 11.30pm. After getting back onto dry land, all boat party goers will receive free entry into the nearby Temple Walkabout where the party will continue until 2am. Tickets are available for £18
each and are selling fast. Don’t delay as the boat party may sell out. In other news, all tag rugby playing Aussies in the capital are looking forward to the eagerly awaited inaugural Provincial Challenge tournament on Saturday 21 September at Twyford Avenue Sports Ground in Acton where London New South Wales will have the chance to take on London Queensland and restore some state pride. As we all know, the mighty Queenslanders have won the last eight Rugby League State of Origin series in a row, and everyone from New South Wales is sick of hearing about it! New South Wales don’t like losing to Queensland in any sport and tag rugby is no different. The New South Welshmen will go in as favourites but you can never write off the battlers from north of the border. If you would like to get involved in a Try Tag Rugby competition or event before the big cold comes back to London, go to www.trytagrugby.com or email info@trytagrugby.com for more details.
RUBDOWN
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May god have mercy
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SPORT
WARNER AXED n
Australia coach Darren Lehmann says David Warner’s axing from the one-day side shows reputation counts for nothing and runs everything in the national team. By Liam FitzGibbon in Edinburgh DAVID Warner will return home from the tour of the UK after surprisingly being left out of the 15-man squad for Tuesday’s one-day international against Scotland and the following five-game series against England starting Friday. Insisting the decision was formbased and nothing to do with attitude or behaviour, Lehmann said Warner’s recent lack of runs in the 50-over format made it a tough but necessary call. Few would argue the explosive batsman remains a match-winner when at his best but Lehmann wants
consistency to form the backbone of a winning culture. “Guys who are consistent are going to play for the team and Dave’s just had some poor form and not high scores,” Lehmann told AAP. “In terms of his work ethic and the way he wants to play for the team, it’s exceptional. We just want more runs on the board. “At the end of the day, he hasn’t made enough runs in this format of the game. “He knows that but we expect more runs from a player of his skill level and how many chances do you get I suppose? “Obviously he’s had a few and
now it’s a case of him going back to (domestic one-day cricket) and getting a few runs in that and getting back into the one-day team.” Warner was dropped despite top scoring for Australia with 53 in a 29-run Twenty20 loss to England at Chester-leStreet on Saturday. The 26-year-old scored nine against England in his only ODI appearance in June’s Champions Trophy, before being suspended from the rest of the tournament following his altercation with England batsman Joe Root in a bar. Warner played in three games against Sri Lanka in the Australian summer - with scores of 4, 60 and 10 - and
had largely disappointing one-day campaigns in England and the UAE last year. Lehmann said Warner was disappointed but accepting of the decision and stressed he had been impressed with his attitude. “He’s been exceptional off the field and the way he’s handled himself, considering he’s copped a fair bit at the grounds. He should be proud of that,” Lehmann said. Paceman Mitchell Starc (back) and all-rounder Steve Smith (thigh) were the other two players omitted from the oneday squad due to injuries but Lehmann said neither were serious concerns.
The blockbuster decider
It’s an epic battle 45 years in the making; the NRL’s two foundation clubs - South Sydney and Sydney Roosters - going head-to-head once more with a title on the line ...continued on p15 SYDNEY STOUSH: Sonny Bill Williams has had to wait all year, since Round 1, for another crack at the Bunnies. (AAP Image/Action Photographics, Renee McKay)
Dockers could rile AFL’s Cats: Scott
GEELONG coach Chris Scott concedes Saturday’s AFL qualifying final against Fremantle could turn spiteful given the two clubs’ history. The Dockers, who knocked the Cats out of last year’s finals, were angered by the AFL’s decision to fixture the match at Simonds Stadium rather than in Melbourne. But the rivalry between the two clubs didn’t need any further heat added. There’s been a series of noteworthy recent incidents between them, including former Cat Matthew Scarlett delivering a jab to Hayden Ballantyne last season, while Ballantyne was suspended for striking Paul Chapman in the same game. Steve Johnson was also banned ...continued on p15
Forgiven Quade set for Test return
ALL has been forgiven by senior Wallabies as a more mature Quade Cooper looks set to start his first Wallabies Test since his “toxic” outburst 11 months ago. Despite coach Ewen McKenzie keeping his cards close to his chest, it appears Cooper is about to win back Australia’s No.10 jersey from rookie playmaker Matt Toomua for Saturday night’s clash with South Africa. McKenzie hinted the Wallabies would stay true to their attacking roots at Suncorp Stadium where they have an amazing 7-0 record in running big Springbok outfits into the ground. Cooper possesses the best passing skills and vision to achieve that end, shown by his penchant for producing his precise attacking rugby against South African teams in both Test and Super Rugby. South Africa are certainly braced for the mercurial Queensland fiveeighth to start with coach Heyneke Meyer rating him among the most dangerous players in the game. “I think it’s just a matter of time when he comes back,” Meyer said. ...continued on p15